Milestones of a lifetime
by Rose-Aki
Summary: The small moments that mark the milestones of Nami and Zoro's relationship. Nami/Zoro
1. First Kiss & First I love you

A/N: I just heard about the ZoNa Milestones event today, so I couldn't help but write this. I didn't have time to proofread it properly, because I'm already late with posting it, so I'm apologizing in advance for any mistakes. A big thanks to RandomLetters77 for telling me about this event and I hope you all like my small one-shots :)

* * *

 **First kiss**

For once Nami felt like a normal woman, just enjoying a spa day with her best female friend. The Straw Hats had anchored on a small island which was known for its hot springs and beautiful landscape. While Luffy wasn't too excited about coming here at first, he changed his mind when he heard that there was a sea monster near by which no one ever caught. That rumor alone was enough for all male crew members to make a competition out of catching the creature, which left the girls with time for themselves.

The navigator only shook her head at them, already used to their antics and left with Robin for the hot springs. It was rare enough that she got time to relax and there was something very important on her mind that she wanted a second opinion on. Sure, she trusted all her friends with her life, but this was something that she was rather shy about and Robin, being a little older, might give her good advice.

When the two women settled into a hot spring near by, Nami took a deep breath and spoke up.

"Can I ask you something?" When the archaeologist nodded, Nami continued. "Have you ever kissed someone?"

Robin's eyes widened in surprise at the question and Nami was afraid that she had offended her, after all it was a rather personal question. However before she could apologize, the older woman smiled mysteriously and answered.

"Yes, I have and what about you miss navigator. Why the sudden interest?"

Nami blushed slightly and shook her head 'no'. It was probably one of her most guarded secrets. With the way she acted and the fact that she had used her flirting skills in the past to steal from pirates, no one would think that she was inexperienced. However the truth was that so far romance hadn't any place in her life. With Arlong in the background and her village at stake she had never time to think about someone in this way, but now a certain swordsman took more room up in her heart than she wanted to admit. With her feelings growing each day and after not being able to stop thinking about him during the crew's two years apart, she knew that she had to think about romance. Seeing that she didn't even had her first kiss, advice was more than needed, so she pushed her embarrassment aside and face Robin.

"Despite what people might think about me, I'm not like that. Bellemere often told me that first kisses are something special, just like first love and that I should only share them with someone who means the world to you."

"And do you have someone with whom you want to experience that?" Robin asked gently. She had her suspicions for a while and with her eyes and ears everywhere, quite literally, she had a good idea who Nami was talking about.

"I do." Nami blushed more and sunk lower into the water. "It's Zoro." It was the first time that she admitted her feelings for a certain swordsman to someone other than herself and it made it feel more real. She was nervous about Robin's reaction, because it must seem like she always picked fights with Zoro instead of trying to win his affection. However she was pleasantly surprised by Robin's next words.

"A wise choice for you." Seeing the navigator's shocked expression, she explained her opinion. "It's obvious that you like him and I can see that he cares deeply for you."

"You really think so?"

The hopeful look on Nami's face made Robin smile. Sure, the swordsman was harder to read, but in the end Robin could see the gentle look he gave the navigator when she wasn't looking or the way he always came to her aid in just the right moment.

"He might not be as open as Sanji with his affection, but trust me I wouldn't set you up for heartbreak miss navigator."

Nami nodded and let Robin's words sink in. Maybe it wasn't as hopeless as she had thought, when even her friend could see glimpse of Zoro's feelings for her. However she knew that it had to be her who made the first move. While Zoro was the first to go willingly in any battle he was clueless when it came to relationships, especially to romantic ones. Relaxing a bit more in the hot spring she began thinking of a plan of action.

In the evening the rest of the crew came back with the rumored sea monster and Sanji immediately began cooking it with Luffy cheering him on. The rest of the crew sat around the fire talking to each other with the exception of a certain swordsman, who sat farther apart against a tree, polishing his swords. With a reassuring smile from Robin, Nami gathered all her courage and a bottle of sake and approached the swordsman.

"So who won the competition?" She asked when she sat down next to him, holding out the bottle of sake to him.

"I would say it was a tie between Luffy and me."

"And Sanji wasn't part of it?" Nami smirked slightly.

"Tz, the stupid cook was useless like always." Zoro grunted and took a gulp of the sake that she had offered him.

So far the teasing and banter was their normal routine, but Nami knew that if she wanted things to change between them she had to be bold. Most of the time Zoro wasn't good with words, but this time Nami was the one who didn't know what to say. Talking about her feelings would probably lead to a misunderstanding seeing that Zoro surely didn't have a clue about hints. With him the direct approach was the best and even though Nami was already blushing and her hands were shaking, she was determined to get her point across.

"Zoro." She called him in a small voice and when he looked her way, their face close to each other, she gently pressed her lips to his. When she felt him stiffen, she began to doubt herself. Had she ruined it all? Had she lost not only a chance of romance, but even more importantly her best friend?

The navigator felt on the verge of tears and was about to pull away, when she felt his arms wind around her and his lips gentle move against hers. There were no fireworks in the background like so many romance books had promised her, but she had never believed that this would happen anyway. The feeling of being in his arms and finally kissing him was better than anything an author could describe and she finally felt completely at home.

* * *

 **First 'I love you'**

It was another beautiful day on the Sunny and it was surprisingly quiet considering that Luffy was their captain. Moments like these were rare and Zoro had just started his work out for the day. Normally he was fully focused on the task at hand, but more often than not these days he found himself watching a certain navigator sunbath on the deck.

There was no doubt that Nami was an attractive woman, but the more time Zoro spent with her the more he was falling for her and even after the crew's two years apart his feelings hadn't changed. Then they shared their first kiss and a few other had quickly followed when they were alone on the deck with a bottle of sake shared between them. He had never felt like this before and the emotion he was getting around her was more than confusing. Despite that he cared deeply for all of his friends and would do anything to protect them, with Nami he always cared a little more and even got out of his way to make her smile. In battles he didn't let her out of his sight and when she needed protection he was more than willing to provide it.

Zoro could never understand when people talked about love, well not love in general but romantic love. He once asked his sensei about it, after he heard Kuina talking about a novel she read. His sensei had smile mysteriously at him and had told him that he would know the meaning of love when he fell in love. That answer hadn't helped at all, so Zoro had asked his sensei for a better answer. Once again his sensei had told him cryptically that love meant wanting to do everything to make the person you love smile, at least that had been his first thought when he fell in love. Back then Zoro couldn't understand his sensei's words and even now he couldn't fully understand the meaning. However if he would describe the feeling he got around Nami, it came close to wanting to make her happy and protect her no matter what it took.

Sighing Zoro set his weights down. Even if this feeling was love he couldn't allowed it to get in the way of his dream and promise to Kuina to become the world's greatest swordsman. Little did he know that it took only one situation to change his mind.

Everyone was used to their crazy adventures and even Nami and Usopp had accepted that their lives were in constant danger due to their captain's love for adventures, but that something so simple as a cold could affect the navigator so much surprised them all. Chopper was worried sick about Nami and a certain swordsman wouldn't stray from her side. The small doctor had forbade everyone else to come into the navigator's room, so she could rest properly but when Zoro had showed up in front of her door with a look in his eye that Chopper had never seen before, the small reindeer made an exception and let him in.

Despite that Nami and him had agreed on not telling anyone about what was going on between them, Zoro couldn't find himself caring about it. As soon as he saw his navigator shivering on the bed with her face looking so white he moved over to her and gathered her in his arms. She had always told him that he was so warm when they sat together in the evening on the deck and now it seemed that she needed his warmth more than ever.

Gently he stroked a few loose strands of hair out of her face and pulled her even closer to his body. The thought of her in this state was unbearable for him and he found himself experience fear for the first time in years. He couldn't explain the strong feeling of pain in his heart at the thought, but he finally knew what he was feeling for the woman in his arms.

His sensei had been right, now Zoro knew what he had meant all those years ago. Nami meant the world to him. He couldn't imagine a day without being able to tease her or drink sake with her or even banter with her. She had always been a big part of his life since he had joined Luffy's crew, but now he needed her around more than ever.

"I love you." He whispered gently to her and even if she couldn't hear it at the moment he would make sure to show her every day how much she meant to him.

* * *

A/N: Please review and tell me what you think :)


	2. First Date & First Night together

A/N: A really big thanks to my reviewers. Here are the next two small one-shots. I hope you like them :)

* * *

 **First Date**

Nami had never been on a date before, but she had read a lot about it. However of all the things she had imagine a first date to be this hadn't been one of them, but then again Zoro was a pirate and while he was the best swordsman in her eyes, he wasn't known to be romantic.

When Zoro first told her to meet him on the small beach on the island they were on at the moment, she had thought about what he had planned. At first she thought that maybe he would set up a picnic for them, but he would be too proud to ask Sanji to prepare food for them. Her next idea was that maybe they would just take a romantic walk along the beach, but then again she knew that her swordsman wouldn't plan something like this. In the end she decided that she wanted to be surprised, but what awaited her on the beach was far from anything she had imagined.

"I'll teach you sword fighting." Zoro answered smirking when he saw her confused look.

For a moment Nami considered just going back to the ship and not talking to him for at least a week. This was their first date and he wanted to do what he always did, fight with his beloved swords. However if she had learned something about Zoro it was that no matter how insensitive he sometimes seemed, he wasn't when it came to her. Maybe he just didn't know what a date was, so she took a deep breath and spoke up.

"Zoro, a date means spending quality time with the person you like and doing something you love."

"I know." He replied if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Sword fighting was always a part of my life and now that I'm planning to share my life with you I'll teach you what I love."

Nami's heart beat faster at his words. It was a clumsy attempt for a date, but it was so much like Zoro that she couldn't help but fall even more in love with him. Of course it made total sense to him that he wanted her to love what mattered so much in his life. Sword fighting was just as much a part of him as her sea charts belonged to her. He wanted to share such a big part of his life with her as a first date and even though it wasn't what she had imagined her first date to be it was even better.

Smiling at him and finally letting herself relax Nami approached the swordsman and, standing on her tiptoes, kissed him softly. He was more than surprised by that and when she pulled away he voiced his thoughts.

"Oi woman, we're here to train."

"Of course we're, I just wanted to do one thing that other couples do on a regular date." She smirked at him. "Now you better teach me some good attacks or I'll tell everyone that you're a bad sensei."

The navigator could barely stop herself from laughing when he began protesting and she blushed deeply when he embraced her from behind to show her how she should hold a sword properly. He was gentle with her, she noticed in every little touch and with every word of explanation. Nami doubted that he had ever taught someone else his skills with the sword and that made her feel special. Zoro was willing to share this important part of himself with her and alone that made this date special.

This might not be what other people considered a romantic date, but to Nami it was the most beautiful and thoughtful thing Zoro had ever done for her.

* * *

 **First night together**

Zoro looked out of one of the windows in the Crow's nest. The calm ocean and peaceful silence was a stark contrast to how he was feeling. Nami and him had been together for exactly half a year today and they wanted to celebrate it tonight. Their friends didn't know about their relationship, even though Zoro was sure that Robin probably knew that something was going on between them, after all this woman was always more perspective than the others. Considering that they were a secret Nami came up with the idea that they should spent the night together in the Crow's nest, because during his watch no one ever bothered Zoro, so it was unlikely that someone would catch them.

This was the reason he was now waiting here with his heart racing. It wasn't like they hadn't spent time alone together, there were always moments they could sneak away from the crew, but this was the first time they would have a whole night to themselves. Hoping to not only make him comfortable but her as well he had brought two bottles of sake for them. They both loved drinking together, so that should be a good start to their night together, at least he hoped it would be. He knew he wasn't exactly the most romantic man on the grand line, but so far Nami had never complained, so he must be doing something right.

Suddenly there was a small knock on the door and a second later it opened to reveal Nami. While Zoro wasn't the most observant when it came to women and their feelings, years of training made him an expert in body language and Nami looked more than tense. It was obvious that she was nervous and seeing her so hesitant and shy wasn't what Zoro had hoped she would be. Normally Nami was strong and not afraid to speak her mind, but now she was the complete opposite and Zoro didn't want that at all.

Thinking hard about what could be the reason for her reaction it didn't take long for him to figure it out. Taking a deep breath he carefully thought about what he was about to say to her. He wasn't sensitive by any means and this situation was more than delicate.

"This evening is not about that." He finally decided to say and softly pulled her into his arms. "I just want to spend time with you."

At his words he felt her immediately relax and return his embrace. He knew that she had thought that he would await something from her tonight but that wasn't the case at all. In all honestly just being with her like this, holding her close and being at peace, was enough for him. Whatever the past had told her men were after, he wasn't. He truly loved her and respected her.

Their first night together was spent with banter and teasing, with two best friends sharing thoughts and hopes and with two lovers falling asleep in each others arms, smiles on their faces and love in their heart.

* * *

A/N: Please review and tell me what you think :)


	3. The Proposal & The Wedding

A/N: It just want to give a big thanks to Amazing Pink for telling Hanzatsu-Hime on tumblr about my story and also thanks to Hanzatsu-Hime for letting me take part in the ZoNa Milestones event :)

* * *

 **The Proposal**

It was already late in the day and the sun slowly began sinking. The ocean seemed at peace and for once it was almost calm on their ship, which gave Zoro time to think. Nami and him had been friends for so long and seeing that they were in Luffy's crew they had been through a lot together. Now they were already a couple for a little more than half a year and if Zoro was honest to himself he had been in love with her for longer than that. Considering that he was ready for the next step in their relationship. He had never imagined that getting married would be on his mind, but here he was worrying about how he could propose to Nami.

Everyone thought that Nami was materialistic, and in some aspects she definitely was, but Zoro knew that what Nami treasured even more than the most expensive gold, was the emotional value some things hold for her. Probably no one besides him knew that Nami's earrings were a gift from Nojiko to her birthday. The navigator had once told him that and when he had teased her about the price of the jewelry, she had answered with a smile that it was worth a lot but not in berry. When she had explained the true value of her earrings, he had fallen in love with her even more.

As if someone wanted to give him a small hint the wind took that moment to play with his own three golden earrings. That was all it took for Zoro to know how he wanted to propose to his navigator.

It was a calm evening and Zoro took Nami out for a walk on the beach. It was rare that he even agreed to do something like this, so when he had suggested this idea, she had been more than happy to accept. However that was not everything that Zoro had planned. Taking a deep breath he began with a casual theme that would hopefully help him with his proposal.

"I visited the blacksmith today."

"You always do, no matter on which island we are." She teased him and he couldn't help but smile gently, she had no idea what was about to happen.

"That's true, but this time I didn't go there for my swords." He took one of her hands and lead it to his earrings.

"What happened to them?" Nami immediately asked when she noticed that each earring was a little shorter than it used to be.

The swordsman smiled. Nami always loved to play with his earrings when they were alone, so he knew that she would notice the change if he gave her the right hint.

"They have always been a part of me and they are one of my most treasured possessions, but they aren't only mine anymore. I asked the blacksmith to turn a small part of each one into something completely new." That was the moment he kneeled down in front of her and took out a small box. "I want to share them and my life with you. Marry me?"

Zoro waited with his heart beating faster than in any battle he ever fought and was relieved when Nami's eyes watered and her face light up with happiness. He didn't even have time to stand up before he found himself on the ground with Nami kissing him passionately. She only broke the kiss to give him a tearful yes before their lips met again. This was a better reaction than any he could have hoped for and now he finally knew that they would be truly together.

* * *

 **The Wedding**

When Nami was little she had witnessed a few weddings in her hometown, sometimes she had seen that the couple really loved each other and other times she couldn't understand why the people involved choose to marry when there clearly wasn't love. Been the curious child that she had been Nami had once asked Bellemere why she wasn't married. With a smile the older woman had answered her that she was happy as it was with her and Nojiko as her children. Back then Nami was more than content with that answer, but now she wished more than ever that Bellemere would have had a chance to meet Zoro. Not only were they best friends, but he was also the man she would marry today.

Before meeting Zoro and falling for him Nami had never believed in true love, but being with him had taught her otherwise. Their love had grown so strong and even during the crew's two years apart her feelings for him had never lessen. Then when he, a man who wouldn't kneel for anyone but her, had kneeled down in front of her and asked her to be his wife she hadn't hesitant to give him a tearful yes and a passionate kiss. Sure, they both bantered a lot and maybe when other people saw them together they wouldn't say that they were in love, but then again it wasn't like Nami cared about that. All that mattered to her was that she would marry the man she loved today with their friends as witnesses of their promises to each other.

A knock on the door pulled the navigator out of her thoughts and when she told the person to come in, a certain cook entered.

"You look beautiful, Nami." He complimented, for once only a smile on his face instead of hearts in his eyes and a overdone praise for her.

Even though Nami had hoped for Genzo to give her away on her wedding day, it wasn't possible. They were on a small island on the Grand line and Genzo was still in her hometown. Maybe one day when she brought Zoro home with her to meet her family again as her husband they could have another small ceremony with Genzo being by her side, but for now Sanji took his place. It had surprised Nami that Zoro had so willingly agreed to that, but then again no matter how much these two fought and even though the swordsman would never admit it, Sanji was one of his best friends.

Finally returning Sanji's smile, Nami took the arm he was offering her, and took a deep breath before leaving the room with him and stepping out on the beach. The sight in front of her was beautiful.

Since she became a member of the Straw Hats she had loved the ocean and beach even more, so Zoro and her had easily agreed on a beach wedding. The crew had forbade Zoro and her to intervene in any of the decoration or planning so this was the first time she saw it. They must have worked hard on it and she took a moment to appreciate it before she looked to the small pavilion under which her love and her friends stood. Brook was playing the traditional wedding song, while Luffy smiled brightly at her. He, as the captain, had the right and privilege to marry them and he was clearly excited to have this honor. Next to him stood Usopp and Franky who were both Zoro's best man and on Luffy's right stood Robin, her maid of honor. Looking shyly Chopper was carrying a small ring box and stood close to Zoro.

When Nami's eyes landed on her swordsman she couldn't help but feel her heart beat faster. This was the moment she had been waiting for. The man standing in front of her, with a smile instead of a smirk on his face, was going to be her husband and there wasn't a doubt in her mind that they would love each other for a lifetime.

* * *

A/N: Please review and tell me what you think :)


	4. The Kid & First Pet

A/N: As always big thanks to my reviewers for their kind words. Here are the last two one-shots for this story. Enjoy :)

* * *

 **The Kid**

Nami watched with a mix of curiosity and affection how Chopper showed Zoro a small dagger. The small doctor had asked Zoro to teach him a few basics of sword fighting and Nami couldn't say that she was really surprised by that. Chopper had always admired Zoro's skills and strength and when the small doctor had received the dagger he immediately wanted to be more like Zoro.

Despite that the world knew Zoro as the strong and ruthless first mate of the Straw Hats, Nami knew he had a kind heart and a soft spot for Chopper. Often enough when Zoro and her took a trip to a near by village on an island Chopper joined them and more often than not Nami felt almost like he was her and Zoro's first kid. Sure, Chopper was a skilled doctor, but then again he was just like a kid sometimes and the more Nami though about it the more her, Zoro and Chopper felt like a small family.

If Nami was completely honest to herself, she liked that idea very much. She knew that Zoro had great potential to be a good father, seeing how he acted with Chopper. Smiling she watched how Zoro kneeled down to Chopper's high to show him how he should hold the dagger properly. At first the small doctor was hesitant but with Zoro's carefully guidance he got more confident with every swing of the weapon.

When Sanji called everyone to dinner Zoro finished his lesson and when he praised the small reindeer, Chopper's eyes light up and he happily skipped inside.

"You were watching." Zoro said when he approached her, his hands finding their place on her waist, embracing her lightly.

"You make a great sensei." Nami smiled at him and wound her arms around his neck.

"As do you." When she gave him a confused look he began explaining. "The time you baked cookies with him for the whole crew. We're both supporting him, just in our own ways."

Nami felt her heart beat faster. Zoro's words were gentle and the look in his eye was so soft. Moments like these always made her fall more in love with him than she already was. Leaning in she closed the small gap between their lips and kissed him. They already had their small family and it seemed like they were doing a good job of raising their kid.

* * *

 **First pet**

Zoro sighed and looked down at the sleeping animal on his stomach, as always this was Luffy's fault. At least their new pet wasn't a whale, much to Brooks dismay, but maybe he should start from the beginning.

The Straw Hats had just left another island when Luffy suddenly came running onto the deck with a huge smile.

"Look what I found." He showed them a small puppy which was barking happily. "This little guy followed me all the way on the ship. Isn't that great?"

"We can't just take a dog with us." Sanji said sternly, already thinking about how the dog would ruin his kitchen in the search of food, much like their captain was constantly doing.

"But I want to keep him." Luffy begged.

"You can always order that we keep him, you're the captain after all." Usopp added helpfully.

"Why would you tell him that." Nami said angrily.

"That's right. I order that we keep him." Luffy smiled brightly.

Nami sighed and shook her head. Of course, now there was no stopping him, but she would at least force him to take care of it.

"Then you're responsible for him."

While their captain agreed happily Zoro only rolled his eyes. The dog would probably end up being his responsibility after Luffy was done playing with him and just as he thought here he was with the little puppy sleeping on his stomach.

Surprisingly enough the dog had taken a liking to him and even more surprising Zoro didn't mind it too much. Smirking slightly Zoro closed his eye and fell asleep as well.

A little while later he woke up from the sound of someone entering the crow nest. Lazily he opened his eye only to see Nami standing in front of him.

"I was looking for you."

"Well now you found me." He replied smirking. No matter how much he loved her, he wouldn't let the chance to tease her fade away.

"Just come to our room with me." She seemed annoyed.

When Zoro was about to follow his wife's orders he remembered the puppy on his stomach. Gently he lifted it off of him and set it into his arms.

"Do you have to bring him everywhere with you?"

"He hates being alone." That was actually true, the dog often enough didn't stop barking when Zoro left him with other crew members or without any company at all.

"So he is really that important to you that I can't even get you alone in our own room." Now the navigator was clearly more upset than annoying.

The swordsman had to hold back a laugh, was she really jealous of a puppy? It must be that way, judging by her reaction. Sure, he took a great liking to the dog, mainly because this puppy reminded him of Kuina's dog, but the last thing he wanted to do was upset Nami. Gently setting the puppy down he approached Nami.

"There is no reason to be jealous." He saw that Nami was about to protest, but he shook his head, silently telling her to let him finish. "Don't see him as competition for my attention but as another part of our family and for the record you're more important." When the navigator smiled at that, he couldn't help put pull her into his arms and kiss her softly.

This night they slept in each others arms and even the small puppy found its place at their feet.

* * *

A/N: So that's it for the ZoNa Milestones event. I hope you liked it and please review and tell me what you think :)


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